The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

This is one of those books that’s going to be hard to write a review for because I feel like I can’t quite explain everything I’m thinking properly, but I will try.

First of all, I love vampires. And this book was vampires done just the way I like them: sexy, but unpredictable and dangerous. They might keep their fangs off you, they might give you a pleasurable bite, or they might rip your throat out; it just depends on the vampire and the moment. And even though there was a romanticism to the vampires, the author also showed the gritty, horrible, reality of them, of what they can do, of the things that happen because of vampirism (like people getting killed even if it’s an accident), of what it’s like to live with them in the Coldtowns.

And speaking of the Coldtowns (the places where the vampires lived), the world-building for those, or for the one that Tana was in at least, was so interesting and well done. The reality shows based there for the humans to watch, the bartering and businesses that existed within the Coldtown, the humans with shunts on their arms who were desperate to become vampires themselves, the impoverished way of living for many people in the Coldtown, the humans who never wanted to be in the Coldtown but got trapped there when it was set up, the markers for getting out and what people will do to get them, the neverending parties… So much thought put into it all. And I mean, just the idea of the Coldtowns in the first place was something unique I’d never seen before.

Another great thing about the book was the complex, flawed characters. Tana sometimes played with fire or made bad decisions but I liked her because she always kept fighting, trying to escape, not giving up, and she tried her best to do what was right. But she also knew when to stop taking shit and put herself first, even if it meant possibly hurting someone. And Aidan did a lot of messed up things to Tana, but he was still charming and sincere and sometimes sweet, and I loved his character because he was so well-written and interesting and truly flawed. I found myself falling for his charm even though I knew I shouldn’t, so I could totally see how Tana fell for him. Gavriel was interesting and flawed as well, just in different, more dramatic ways because of his past and vampirism and insanity.

The book also touched upon something I think about sometimes. I read a lot of vampire books, and I wonder, what would a vampire who’s been alive for a long time actually be like? Would they be like an old person? Would they act the age they look? Would they be monsters? Would they still just seem human? Would it just depend on the vampire? But that quote about Gavriel is such an interesting way of looking at it.

The writing was also pretty in this eerie, strange kind of way. And there were some brilliant quotes, like the one I shared above. I’m not sure how I feel about the flashbacks and some of the POVs that might not have been necessary, but those are pretty minor issues.

So overall, this was a kind of eerie feeling book with great writing, sexy but dangerous vampires, amazing world-building, and complex characters that I’m very glad I gave it a read!

Rating: 4 Stars

Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight (link in profile)

So satisfying. I can’t remember the last time that a book wrapped up in a better way than I could have imagined. This book has a true beginning, middle, end. A a great story arch. Even the bad guys have a back story and are enjoyable as characters. This book is a jewel- not needing a sequel (although I would absolutely read a sequel). Furthermore, when you can compare the cold towns in the story to our prison system, the insight is both interesting and frightening. The fiscal and political investment in the institution confuses easiest and best practices. Who is redeemable? The bloodthirsty vampire? The reckless child? The self-severing teenager? The person who makes a mistake?

I have never read a book by Holly Black ever, so I wasnt quite sure what to expect going into this book. I knew it was about vampires and that was it. I am glad I went into not knowing much because wow, it was so good. The writing and the characters are amazing, the way Holly Black writes is absolutely fantastic. She sucks you in and your left wanting to know more every time you read it. This book was so good I didnt want to finish it, I wanted to hold on to as much of the story as I could.

Your MC is a girl named Tana. She awakens in a bathtub of an old farmhouse to find herself in the middle of a massacre. Everyone at the party from the night before is now dead except Aiden (Her Ex-Boyfriend) and the Vampire chained up in the corner. She is soon faced with the possibility of being infected along with Aiden already being infected and makes the choice to go to Coldtown.

Coldtowns are cities that built walls around themselves to help keep the vampire population in and hopefully stop the spread of the infection. Most humans end up going to coldtown because they have glamourized vampirism so much they want to turn into one. So facing the Aiden and Herself being infected, tana heads to coldtown in her car with Aiden and Gabriel ( the Chained up Vampire)

I keep gushing over this book, but it was so good. I honestly compare it a bit to savage song by V.E. Schwab as far as the built-up cities and Humans against monsters (Vampires). I was thoroughly impressed with this books and is definitely one of my favorites this year. Overall it was such an amazing book with great writing and a fabulous world. The character building was astounding, especially with the growth after getting to Coldtown.

This was a truly unique look on teen culture and what modern vampires will look like. It was disturbing and suspenseful and populated by such well thought out characters. I loved selfish and jerky Aiden and the way they stayed friends despite all his faults. I loved Gavriel the mad vampire and I thought the ending was perfect. I admit I’m icked out by an actual teen getting together with a 200 year old vampire but I guess that’s the genre trope. I loved the tiny love story worked into the cracks with two adorable side characters. I think Tana was my least favorite character. She was a very teenagery teenager is that she kept doing dumb things and even though she was aware they were dumb she did them anyway. I was happy things worked out but only because her stupidity eventually grew on me. She wasn’t as complex as some of the other people.

It’s a long time since a vampire book caught my eye. It’s difficult these days to find genre novels that are well written, thoughtful and original. Even rarer to find a YA-category novel with a female protagonist that isn’t primarily angsty romance.

Which is not to say The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is without romance. It even has an HFN ending. But the romance is not central to the plot, and there’s no clichd love triangle or idolisation of unhealthy behaviours. If anything, one purpose of the story is to expose the seductive glamour of vampires as an abusive fiction.

Tana, our heroine, is seventeen, an accidental sole survivor of a massacre. She’s not a Chosen One and has no special powers, but she shares a trait common to many heroes: a stubborn determination to do what is right, even in the face of mortal terror.

Immortal terror too, of course. The story is set in a world where vampire infection is rife, and where whole cities have been walled around. These are the Coldtowns of the title – although the first part of the title, The Coldest Girl in … is misleading and probably just for effect. (How many titles start with The Girl …?) The lives of the dead and undead within these enclaves are glamourised Reality-TV-style and broadcast to the world, luring in a steady stream of wannabe vampires with their fresh, warm, human blood.

If the basic plot is a wild, roller-coaster ride (I read the second half in one sitting), the book’s unifying theme is death, where life is warm and death is cold. Vampiric infection is perceived as a creeping cold. The vampires themselves are not the evil of demonic possession, but rather once-humans cursed with – and corrupted by – abnormal lust and power.

There are also some nice historical touches, with scenes in Paris, Vienna and Russia. In many ways, this is a very traditional vampire tale, but with a modern approach, a thriller with elements of both horror and romance.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member